The Midrash (Bamidbar Rabba 22:2) teaches that one thousand people went to war, and the other thousand davened for the soldier’s success. They came to the war in pairs, one person to daven and one person to fight the battle.
Reb Yechezkel Levinstein zt'l asks:
- One can daven from a distance. However, here it states לצבא תשלחו, that also those who were davening were sent out to the battlefront. Why was that necessary?
- Why was it necessary for a thousand people to daven? Why did each soldier need someone to pray exclusively for him?
Reb Yechezkel Levinstein zt'l answers that miracles were needed to win this war. It was twelve thousand people against an enormous army. And from the entire Jewish nation, not even one person was captured at battle, as it states (31:49) נשאו עבדיך משה אל ויאמרו איש ממנו נפקד ולא בידנו אשר המלחמה אנשי ראש את, "[The officers of the war] said to Moshe, 'Your servants counted the soldiers who were in our charge, and not one man was missing.'" The nature of people is to think that they do things on their own. Therefore, for the warriors not to believe that they were succeeding in the war with their own might, Hashem commanded each soldier to have a partner, someone davening for him, standing near him on the frontlines. This would remind the warriors that Hashem was fighting for them and that their success comes from Him.
We can offer another reason why those appointed to daven were required to be at the site of the war. It was so they should daven with all their heart and soul. Yes, they could daven from afar, but if they didn’t see the danger before their eyes, their tefillos wouldn’t be said with the same passion and enthusiasm.
The Miraculous War against Midyan
Rabbeinu b'Chaya writes, "This war was miraculous. The greatest miracles that happened to the Jewish nation took place during their battle against Midyan. Midyan was a large nation, like the sand on the seashore. The Yidden killed them and took many captives. The Torah testifies that not one Yid was lost in this war. They merited this great miracle because they were righteous. As Chazal say, איש ממנו נפקד ולא, no one sinned." They merited the miracles because they passed difficult tests.
The Targum Yonason (31:50) writes that the war generals reported to Moshe, "When Hashem gave the Midianites into our hands, and we conquered their lands and countries, we entered their houses and whoever found Midianite women wearing gold jewelry, they would take the jewelry, but chalilah we should raise our eyes! We didn't look at them so that we shouldn't sin and die the deaths of resha'im in Olam Haba. May this be remembered on the great day of judgment, to atone for us before Hashem."
How did they take the jewelry without seeing the women? The Midrash states, "This was their way in this war: When they would take off the jewelry, they would first cover [the women's] faces with ורפש טיט, tar and garbage, and they took off the jewelry without seeing them."
The Chasam Sofer zt'l notes that after this war, we don't find the warriors bringing a korban to thank Hashem for saving them. Chasam Sofer writes, "They didn't need to bring a korban for the wonders Hashem did for them to save them from the sword because there is no greater korban than when a person sacrifices himself for Hashem. As it states (Vayikra 1:2), 'לה קרבן מכם יקריב כי אדם, 'When a person sacrifices himself as a korban for Hashem.'" Their sacrifice of self was their caution from sin and their caution with their eyes. That was their korban to Hashem.
The Gemara (Shabbos 64) teaches, "Although they didn't sin, they had sinful thoughts." That is why they donated gold and jewelry to the Mishkan, as it states (31:50) נפשותינו על לכפר 'ה לפני, "To atone for our souls before Hashem."
The Chidushei HaRim zt'l notes that they didn't immediately donate gold and jewelry to the Mishkan when they returned from the war. Sometime later, they decided to do so. So why did they change their minds and donate the gold and jewelry to the Mishkan as atonement for their thoughts?
The answer is that, at first, they didn't appreciate the severity of an impure thought. "It is just a thought," they figured. However, among the spoils of war were pots and food utensils that had belonged to the Midianites, and Elazar HaCohen taught the nation to kasher those utensils (see 31:21-24). This was done so the taste of the non-kosher Midianite foods would be removed entirely from the pots. The Yidden learned from this halacha that even the slightest hint of aveirah is too much. They then realized they should cleanse themselves from the subtle sin of impure thoughts.
Additional Insights
10. After this war, the Torah (31:54) writes, 'ה לפני ישראל לבני. The Or HaChaim writes that the warriors of this war were 'ה לפני, "before Hashem" because they passed a great test and were fitting to stand before Hashem and serve in the Beis HaMikdash. This is as Chazal say, 'Whoever refrains from doing an aveirah, even if he is a Yisrael, is fitting to bring sacrifices on the mizbeach like the kohen gadol.'"
11. Rebbe Mendel of Riminov zt'l said that studying this section (of kashering utensils, כלים הגעלת) is mesugal for overcoming bad thoughts. We might now have a slight understanding of this statement. It was the parashah of kashering utensils that helped the nation appreciate the severity of an impure thought.
A bachur complained to Rebbe Aharon of Belz zt'l that he couldn’t keep his thoughts pure. The Rebbe told him that learning two Maharshahs daily is mesugal against bad thoughts. The bachur later said that this counsel thoroughly cleansed his thoughts.
To understand Maharsha, one must know the Gemara and the Tosfos very well. Without clarity in Gemara, Rashi, and Tosfos, one can’t understand the Maharsha. So, when one studies Maharsha, he will automatically need to be fully immersed in Torah study. For that reason alone, studying Maharsha is mesugal for clean thoughts. But it is more than that. The Maharsha is a very holy sefer and is mesugal for pure thoughts.
The Chida (Dvash l'Pi 5:4) writes that to study Masechta Makos is mesugal to be protected from bad thoughts. The hint is that מכות is gematriya הרהורים (466).
The Saraf of Strelisk zt'l said, "When one guards his eyes, he will raise his children without distress, and they will be protected from all troubles."
